Birmingham: EasyJet Flights, New Routes & Base Updates

[Finger66]

Easy enough for the two airlines to stand side by side. It's a key business route and yes Flybe will probably cut frequency, but if U2 use a GLA based a/c then BE op with a BHX based a/c. Or vice versa if needed. Either way plenty of scope for market share for both at peak times. The one thing this could be the start of though is U2 starting to prey on the weak. I have no inside information but don't expect this to be the last attack on BE routes.

 

[rollo]

The Belfast route has presumably been a success and if Glasgow follows suit which I think it will then Edinburgh is pretty much certain in addition AMS and CDG are up for grabs with EasyJet the obvious candidate eventually there is the potential to form a significant base with middle of the day flights the other unserved or under served routes we wish for.

Patience and optimism hopefully will win the day but maybe I'm miles off the mark.

 

[andrew.clarkson]

Hi there rollo, I agree with you on easyJet new route from Birmingham to Glasgow, give it a year and if it starts to produce the same results as Belfast, then hopefully Edinburgh, Charles de gaule, then Schipol will hopefully follow, but we will have to wait till April 2021,to see what easyJet do.

 

[IanFarquharson]

easyjet S20 on sale on 19 September so a few more weeks to wait 🙂

 

[Ray Finkle]

News that EasyJet are to start BHX Glasgow seems to have fired a lot of poster's imagination into two distinct areas of thought: the numbers game and connectivity!

Any new service will help boost numbers but i am very wary of this being the Holy Grail. I see no point in any further EasyJet development being tied to places where the airport already has sufficient cover. That could be self-defeating as we have seen in the past.

Much better to look to EasyJet to provide greater connectivity; launching new routes to those many cities that are currently not covered by the airport. There are many, but perhaps the clearest to identify is Lisbon, a city which must curely have business opportunities alied with tourism and onward connectivity to South America and Central Africa. Then with slots to both CDG and AMS available and for the same reason (business, leisure and connectivity) this is where i would like to see EasyJet develop.

The numbers game or connectivity, i know which one i prefer...

Totally agree, we don't want a situation similar to the summer of 2017 when some routes had seven airlines operating on them.

With BHX having some big gaps in the route network I would hope they are working to fill them rather than creating more competition with the resultant lowering of yields. Obviously there would be some overlap and I'm sure that if easyjet were to base aircraft the likes of Malaga, Alicante and Faro would feature but there are so many more destinations that could be served.

Lisbon, Athens, Stockholm, Seville, Valencia, Gibraltar, Basel, Reykjavik, Toulouse, Bilbao, Olbia and Mykonos are all unserved. There is also Milan (cut from three to one daily by Flybe), Berlin (also cut from three to one daily by Flybe), Rome (4x weekly 738 with Jet2, was daily A321 with Monarch) and possibly one or two of the German routes that could take a little more capacity.

What we don't want is another airline coming in on the likes of Krakow which already has two operators and Wizz starting it next month or Vienna where Eurowings loads have been less than spectacular yet Lauda start in Oct.

There are lots of opportunities and easyjet seem like the perfect fit, we just need someone at BHX to persuade them.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Going back to the upcoming Glasgow service and the competition with Flybe, did they not compete with bmibay on the route back in the day?

I know bmi definitely served EDI as I used the service but can't remember if they did GLA too?

 

[Bhx_fifteen]

Going back to the upcoming Glasgow service and the competition with Flybe, did they not compete with bmibay on the route back in the day?

I know bmi definitely served EDI as I used the service but can't remember if they did GLA too?

anna.aero | Temporarily Unavailable

According to Anna Aero, bmibaby didn’t fly BHX-GLA on demise, but perhaps it was served in previous years (though I can’t find anything online).

I do remember flying with bmibaby on various routes, including BHX-AMS where I paid about £50/£60 return (which seems impossible to find with Flybe/KLM on this route nowadays). I’m very excited that due to the Virgin takeover, Flybe have had to relinquish some CDG & AMS slots and hopefully we’ll see a new airline on these routes. I see room for success for both Flybe and easyJet/another LCC on the route (though easyJet seems the obvious choice); and on Glasgow too. Flybe, by nature, are able provide a more frequent schedule thanks to smaller aircraft, and easyJet/other are more appealing to leisure travellers which fewer daily choices but generally cheaper fares thanks to EOS & general efficiencies. Some healthy competition can be good for all, but as Ray pointed out, not when there are 7 airlines on one route!

Something that’s stuck out to me from the Anna Aero article is that Nice was served 14 x per week in S12 (7 by Monarch, 7 by bmibaby). That’s a route that’s been missing for years and will finally return next year with Jet2 but at just 3 flights per week. I definitely think easyJet/other cheaper LCC could add some capacity on Nice. I’ll be the first to praise Jet2 and all they’ve done for BHX, not to mention their amazing product and customer service as many have pointed out. However, they tend to offer lower frequencies and are more of a charter/LCC hybrid, and we can’t rely solely on them.

I flew LHR-NCE last year with BA (as there were no flights from BHX) and paid £79 return at the end of May. With Jet2 next year, flights are coming up about £200+. As I say, Jet2 are great but offer a very specific product, but BHX also need an airline like easyJet that can fill gaps to unserved and underserved routes, tempting people (like me?!) back from cheaper & more served airports such as LHR/LTN/MAN and helping BHX return to strong growth.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Thanks for the link 👍

Has it really been seven years since bmibaby closed, just where has the time gone?

Looking at that list it took BHX around four years to get Prague back and even longer for Lisbon, will we see the likes of Athens and one or two others remain absent for a similar period of time.

 

[whateverg]

Thanks for the link 👍

Has it really been seven years since bmibaby closed, just where has the time gone?

Looking at that list it took BHX around four years to get Prague back and even longer for Lisbon, will we see the likes of Athens and one or two others remain absent for a similar period of time.

But we haven't got Lisbon? Or have you just dropped a clanger?

 

[Ray Finkle]

But we haven't got Lisbon? Or have you just dropped a clanger?

Post bmibaby it did eventually come back, with Monarch but it was still absent for several years in between the two.

I was attempting to make the point that from that list it took a number of years to get PRG and LIS back following the closure of bmibaby and how I hope that we won't see a similar situation with the likes of ATH, LIS and others this time around.

 

[IanFarquharson]

Monarch did Lisbon after BMI - I think this is what Ray means ?

I just wish Air Portugal would come to their senses, they have spare planes now they are dropping LCY

 

[whateverg]

It's hard to see them dropping LCY for BHX

 

[IanFarquharson]

It's hard to see them dropping LCY for BHX

They are adding the LCY capacity onto LHR but upgrading a couple of flights

 

[IanFarquharson]

There are plenty of pax for both easy and Flybe looking at the annual totals

BHX-GLA

2018 = 234,522
2017 = 221,667
2016 = 226,731
2015 = 226,704
2014 = 229,415
2013 = 203,464
2012 = 208,123
2011 = 211,869
2010 = 212,624
2009 = 269,411
2008 = 337,132
2007 = 347,002
2006 = 326,470
2005 = 324,281
2004 = 345,123
2003 = 361,351 **
2002 = 315,997
2001 = 277,728

 

[Angie88]

Was the Lisbon yields good for monarch? The three times I went with monarch the plane was pretty much full. I really thought TAP would have stepped in too but I’d be more than happy with easyJet

 

[Ray Finkle]

Reported elsewhere that EDI will join GLA.

 

[Llandudno]

EDI-BHX 13 weekly from March. 180,000 seats from BHX to Scotland next year.

 

[nwoody2001]

Are you sure on your numbers.....
180,000 seats are on the BHX-GLA route alone. If EDI is also added with a the same frequency, Easy will be adding circa 360,000 seats between BHX-Scotland

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Will EDI follow?

Kevin

I asked this a month ago.

Kevin

 

[smithy108]

Reported elsewhere that EDI will join GLA.

Massively important that these routes are a success as it will give them the commercial confidence to add further routes and push them towards establishing a base maybe Summer 2021. I am sure the influence of Nick Barton is helping
Flybe will have to improve their service levels and reduce some of the ridiculously high fares to compete with the EasyJet service. Will they stay and fight?